Alyson has defended health care providers for more than 35 years, with clients ranging from physicians, nurses and dentists, to hospitals and long-term care facilities. She is an experienced litigator who secured a defense verdict in her very first jury trial in 1991, and has been trying cases to verdict ever since. She has handled civil, trial and appellate matters throughout western Pennsylvania. She has successfully tried cases to verdict before juries in state and federal courts, and has prevailed on a number of appeals before both Pennsylvania and Federal appellate courts. Alyson also represents health care professionals before various licensing boards in Pennsylvania, providing counsel from the initial incident through interviews with the Licensing Board investigators and hearings in front of the Hearing Examiner or Professional Licensing Board.
In addition to her litigation practice, Alyson provides risk management counseling for health care organizations and dental practices. She has also represented employers in governmental agency hearings and labor grievance arbitrations.
An active member of the legal community, Alyson was inducted into the prestigious Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County in 2018. The Academy of Trial Lawyers is limited to 250 members which consist of 125 of the best plaintiff trial lawyers and 125 of the best defense trial lawyers in Allegheny County. Alyson was honored to serve on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Trial Lawyers and has also served on the Membership Committee. She has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2007 through 2015, and again in 2024. She is also a member of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial Insurance Practice Section, and the Allegheny and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.
Alyson is a frequent speaker on topics germane to her practice, including medical records documentation, licensing board matters, disruptive physicians, successful trial strategies, discovery, and labor/employment matters.
Honors & awards
Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, Fellow
2018-present
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
2007-2015; 2024-2025
Approved Mediator, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Year joined
2024
Thought Leadership
Marshall Dennehey Announces 2025 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
May 22, 2025
Thirty-three attorneys across Marshall Dennehey's five Pennsylvania offices have been selected to the 2025 edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine.
Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyer Alyson J. Kirleis Joins Marshall Dennehey’s Health Care Department in Pittsburgh
Health Care Liability
February 6, 2024
Highly accomplished medical malpractice litigator, Alyson J. Kirleis, has joined Marshall Dennehey’s Pittsburgh office as a shareholder in the Health Care Department.
